A patient's adherence relates to a patient taking their medication at the prescribed frequency, and is important to obtain the full benefits of the therapy. Similarly, it is also important that a patient are using their medication delivery device correctly. This is referred to as competence or compliance. It is valuable to monitor patient competence/compliance since a patient may be fully adherent to their medication schedule, but if they fail to use the device correctly, then they may receive an ineffective amount of the drug and therefore their therapy may be unsuccessful.
Providing a medical device with electronics configured to monitor patient usage is one method to allow for a patient or caregiver to ensure that medications are being taken correctly. It is known for drug delivery devices, such as inhalers and pill bottles, to use electronics that fit inside or attach to the body of medical devices and that these drug delivery devices may be configured to provide information regarding a patient's use of the device. These systems may provide reminders to patients in the form of visible or audible alerts, for example, when a dose is overdue or a medication has been administered correctly.
A problem experienced by such devices is that the additional electronics required significantly increase the manufacturing costs that most pharmaceutical companies are not willing to accept. Furthermore, such systems often require a certain level of engagement by the patients themselves, which may represent a further burden in addition to taking the medications themselves. As such, many patients are not willing to embrace the new technology and may be deterred from their continued adherence with their prescribed therapy. Accordingly, there exists a need for providing a convenient and inexpensive technique for improving the interaction of a user with a medical device that may not require much active participation on the part of the patient, may further engage the patient in their therapy, and/or may assist with competence/compliance monitoring.